#3x09. 4x09 first. 5x09 etc.

[raayllum]

do you think that Zym would be a part of Callum’s “inner circle”? Like, if Soren wasn’t included for example.

I mean, I think there's a lot of people Callum loves deeply and considers family. Zym and Soren are both definitely in that category; so is Bait, Opeli, and the rest of Ez's council, Aunt Amaya and Janai, etc. But like - I do think Ezran and Rayla are his only "I'd burn the world down for you" people. He equates the love he has for Ezran with the love Rayla has for himself like, nine days into knowing her? (2x03 my beloved). He just relies on them and trusts them in ways he doesn't with anyone else. They're his people, his two pillars. As long as he has them and they're safe and sound, he can function decently well. If he doesn't... woof

Like Ez is Ez, and 5x01 perfectly demonstrates how Callum trusts Rayla in ways he doesn't with Soren (4x01). I think Callum loves Zym very very much, but also as an extension of Ezran but like - here's Callum's reaction when he thinks Zym is gone in 4x07; he puts a hand on Ezran's shoulder because he loves Zym too, but he also knows that what Ezran and Zym have (a literal soulmate bond tbh) is special and unique and that Ez is the closest to the wee dragon

vs when Callum thinks he's lost Rayla or Ezran

And again, even the way he trusts them:

or when he thinks they're in danger and someone is standing in his way

meanwhile when Soren goes missing, or Zym gets stolen, Callum is stressed and concerned, yeah, but he's mostly able to keep a level head and stay optimistic. He doesn't get distracted. Like, in 3x09, Aunt Amaya and Soren were both down there on the active battlefield, and Callum wanted them to be okay! But he wasn't fraught with worry about it, and as soon as Callum had reunited with Ez and knew he was alright, he immediately waned to go reunite with Rayla above all else, even leaving Ez to take care of the rest of the battle on his own at his brother's encouragement: "Go to her. Rayla. It's okay, I got this." If it's anyone else in danger, he doesn't loose his cool. Because even when that shit hits the fan, he has Ezran and Rayla at the very least to rely upon and fall back on.

It's kinda like how Soren loves his family dearly - Viren included - but Soren was literally willing to kill Viren to protect Ezran, and indicated he'd do the same with Claudia if he absolutely had to: "You stop, or I will stop you" (paraphrasing 4x07). That doesn't mean he doesn't love them, it just means there's something (Ezran and what feels right) he's willing to put above them. If anything, I think Callum is probably glad for some of their emotional distance, because it means he knows that if Soren had to choose between the broyals, he'd pick Ezran, just the way Callum would want / demand for him to.

This is also kinda reflected in that even when Soren is there and has been a member of the Group for years now, in 5x05, Ezran consults with Callum and Rayla. Soren doesn't even get a vote; Zym is just there to vibe with Ezran (although he'd prob weigh in if he wanted to). To me, the three of them? That's their inner circle. And Callum is just motivated more acutely by it, I think, compared to the rest of said circle